Withers v. Commissioner

69 T.C. 900, 1978 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 160
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedMarch 8, 1978
DocketDocket No. 8234-76
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 69 T.C. 900 (Withers v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Withers v. Commissioner, 69 T.C. 900, 1978 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 160 (tax 1978).

Opinion

OPINION

Goffe, Judge:

The Commissioner determined a deficiency in petitioners’ Federal income tax for the taxable year 1973 in the amount of $3,811.58. Due to concessions, two issues remain for our decision:

(1) Whether petitioners’ charitable contribution of stock having a basis in excess of fair market value will support a charitable contribution deduction pursuant to section 170,1.R.C. 1954,1 equal in amount to petitioners’ basis in the stock; and

(2) Alternatively, whether the same contribution will support both a loss deduction under section 165 and a charitable contribution deduction under section 170 equal in sum to petitioners’ basis in the stock.

All of the facts have been stipulated. The stipulation of facts and the exhibit attached thereto are incorporated by this reference.

LaVar M. and Marlene Withers, husband and wife, filed their joint Federal income tax return for the taxable year 1973 with the Internal Revenue Service Center, Ogden, Utah. Petitioners resided in Rexburg, Idaho, at the time they filed their petition in this proceeding.

During 1973, petitioners contributed shares of corporate stock to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Petitioners had an aggregate basis in the shares of $10,646.31. At the date of contribution, however, the fair market value of the shares was only $3,520.25 and the basis for each share of stock exceeded its fair market value.

In the schedule of itemized deductions appended to petitioners’ 1973 tax return, a $10,646.31 deduction was taken for contributions other than cash. An accompanying note titled “Other — Stock to LDS Church” substantiated the amount of the deduction by listing each stock contributed, the number of shares contributed, and petitioners’ tax cost basis in the shares.

The Commissioner, in his statutory notice of deficiency, limited petitioners’ charitable contribution deduction to $3,520.25, which was the fair market value of the stock on the date of contribution.

Petitioners assert that they are entitled to a deduction or deductions equal in amount to their aggregate basis in the property contributed. Petitioners’ assertion is based on two alternative grounds: (1) The section 170 charitable contribution deduction; and (2) the section 165 loss deduction in conjunction with the section 170 charitable contribution deduction.

Respondent contends that petitioners’ charitable contribution deduction is limited to the fair market value of the property transferred and that no deductible loss is created by the contribution. We agree with respondent.

Petitioners initially argue that the amount of their charitable contribution deduction was reported properly as their tax cost basis in the stock contributed. They assert that the amount of the deduction should reflect both the unrealized depreciation in stock value and the fair market value of the stock. No statutory authority or prior case law is cited to support this assertion.

Respondent directs us to section 1.170A-l(c)(l), Income Tax Regs., which provides that, subject to any section 170(e) modification, the measure of a charitable contribution is the fair market value of the contributed property. We have long agreed that the measure of a charitable contribution of property should be the fair market value of such property. Fargason v. Commissioner, 21 B.T.A. 1032 (1930). Petitioners do not challenge the propriety of this well-established general rule. Nevertheless, they argue that they may deduct the unrealized depreciation in stock value as a charitable contribution.

The regulation cited above sets forth the fair market value rule but alludes to a statutory modification of that rule, section 170(e), which reduces the charitable contribution deduction for specified contributions of property having fair market value in excess of basis. The reduction mechanism of section 170(e) is based on a constructive sale premise. The deduction otherwise allowable is reduced by an amount that would offset the taxable gain that the property would have generated if it had been sold.

Section 170(e) internally approximates the effect of a sale followed by donation of the proceeds. Petitioners’ argument for an increased deduction under section 170 calls for a similar process. Mechanically, petitioners would arrive at the reported deduction by augmenting the fair market value of the stock by the excess of stock basis over fair market value. The augmentation would cause the charitable contribution deduction to reflect the loss that would have been sustained by petitioners had they sold the stock for its fair market value on the date of contribution and donated the proceeds. Section 170(e) reduces the charitable contribution deduction to account for unrecognized gain; petitioners would have us similarly increase the deduction to account for their unrecognized loss.

The general rule applicable to charitable contributions allows taxpayers a deduction equal to the fair market value of the property contributed. Congress limited that general rule when it enacted section 170(e), the explicit purpose of which is the reduction of tax benefits incident to certain contributions of appreciated property. H. Rept. 91-413 (1969), 1969-3 C.B. 200, 235. Congress provided us with no further modification of contrary purpose that would allow an increased deduction under section 170 to taxpayers who contribute stock with basis in excess of fair market value. We will not change that result here.

Petitioners alternatively argue that if they are entitled to a charitable contribution deduction under section 170 equal only to the fair market value of the stock when contributed, then they are also entitled to a loss deduction under section 165 equal in amount to the difference between stock basis and fair market value. As was true for petitioners’ first argument, no issue is raised regarding allowance of a charitable contribution deduction equal in amount to the fair market value of the stock when contributed. Here we must decide only whether petitioners also are entitled to the accompanying loss deduction under section 165.

In support of their position, petitioners have cited International Freighting Corp. v. Commissioner, 135 F.2d 310 (2d Cir. 1943), affg. 45 B.T.A. 716 (1941), and its progeny. In International Freighting, an employer transferred stock, which had appreciated in value, to employees pursuant to a bonus plan. The employer was allowed a business expense deduction pursuant to section 23(a), I.R.C. 1939, the predecessor to section 162, for the fair market value of the stock and was taxed on the difference between fair market value and basis as recognized gain.

In United States v. General Shoe Corp., 282 F.2d 9 (6th Cir. 1960), revg. an unreported case (M.D. Tenn. 1959, 3 AFTR 2d 433, 59-1 USTC par. 9178), cert denied 365 U.S. 843 (1961), an employer transferred appreciated realty to an employee retirement trust. The employer was allowed a pension trust deduction under section 23(p), I.R.C.

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Related

Zand v. Commissioner
1996 T.C. Memo. 19 (U.S. Tax Court, 1996)
Jennings v. Commissioner
1988 T.C. Memo. 521 (U.S. Tax Court, 1988)
Guest v. Commissioner
77 T.C. 9 (U.S. Tax Court, 1981)
Withers v. Commissioner
69 T.C. 900 (U.S. Tax Court, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
69 T.C. 900, 1978 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/withers-v-commissioner-tax-1978.